*Stop The Cavalry* It's The 2014 Christmas Chatter Thread

PenguinOfDeath

Sorry to go back to you his, but to those of your who go there - is Costco worth it?
Intrigued by the posts above I did a little research and realised we would qualify membership through OH's job and the nearest store is about 20 miles away. :idea:

There's only two of us and we don't have a massive house but there is some storage space, a loft and half a shed that could be use if needed. I'm probably most interested in things like toiletries, loo rolls, shaving supplies, meat, none perishable foods and possibly the odd electrical item. I try and bulk buy these things when possible, the idea of going into shops less appeals to me Any thoughts?

Anyhow, back to :rudolf:...
Was going to chase an eBay seller for an item I bought for OH last weekend as it hadn't even been marked as dispatched, it appeared this morning (postman woke me up!) so all is well there.

I have a day off next week when OH is in work which happens less often than a blue moon so my aim is to try and at least wrap his pressies to get that out of the way.

Having a bit of a dilemma what to get him as a 'main' present, he hasn't got a clue and I've got him quite a few smaller bits (books, tub of jelly babies etc) but nothing 'big', well not big price anyway

Maybe it's psychological, last year I wrapped him say 8 things varying in size, price etc, put them under the tree and he sort of panicked when he saw them and decided to get me some more bits so it looked equal :eek:
I told him not to be silly and it be happy with whatever he had chosen but I'm sure he went ahead anyway. As if I'm going to counting, and I'd rather not get afterthoughts

Most other presents sorted, just 1 family member to get, going to have to ask for assistance on them I think, and a personalised gift to sort too. We pulled out the office Secret Santa this week, I have one of the big bosses :eek: I don't really know him but I have one or two ideas to give him a light hearted ribbing, at least he seems to have a sense of humour!

Still no clue what's happening re Xmas meals, who, what, where! We do tend to arrange these things last minute round here!

mkgirl1981

quidsy wrote: »

Well jell, if mine were 10 mins away I'd be there weekly, as it is we co-ordinate going when toilet roll etc runs out, it's about a 50 min drive for us with decent traffic so no time to go more often.

we seem to be very lucky where we live we have everything

ikea
the range
Lakeland
a big b&m plus a small one
poundstretcher
costco
dunelm
poundland
99p store
primark
matalan

I was in 99p store the other day and they had some quite nice decorations I took some pics I'll upload a bit later

System

Don't forget to buy your batteries mine have just come ,32 AA for under £7.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003XQEJWS?psc=1

mandco

PenguinOfDeath wrote: »

Sorry to go back to you his, but to those of your who go there - is Costco worth it?
Intrigued by the posts above I did a little research and realised we would qualify membership through OH's job and the nearest store is about 20 miles away. :idea:

There's only two of us and we don't have a massive house but there is some storage space, a loft and half a shed that could be use if needed. I'm probably most interested in things like toiletries, loo rolls, shaving supplies, meat, none perishable foods and possibly the odd electrical item. I try and bulk buy these things when possible, the idea of going into shops less appeals to me Any thoughts?

If you qualify for membership then I would go for it. You do have to check prices as not everything is always cheaper but mostly great value. Only problem I have is I tend to end up spending way more than I planned

Freespirit glad dd is starting to feel better being a new mum is hard enough without the added pain. sounds like max is doing great its lovely when they start filling out and get all cuddly without seeming so fragile .

Pinknfluffy belated birthday wishes

Chrissyg sorry dd is still suffering with the leg they don't tell you it can take months to actually get better/back to normal but hope she's not in too much pain and it settles soon. Is the cold weather affecting it? I know a few people who suffer with pain due to previous breaks when its cold similar to those who have joint issues which flare up in winter. glad you managed to get the car fixed

Hoping to get the tree up this evening just need rearrange the furniture so it has somewhere to go.

Found the elves,got advent calendars just need to make up a letter for taz and we'll be ready for them to arrive on Monday but do still need to finalise a plan for the wks activities

mandco

does anyone have any recommendations for a (budget end)red wine? Need a bottle for a gift and don't really want to spend loads but would rather spend a little extra on a nice one than just get the cheapest. I don't drink it so no idea of what to get thanks

nic2075

mandco wrote: »

does anyone have any recommendations for a (budget end)red wine? Need a bottle for a gift and don't really want to spend loads but would rather spend a little extra on a nice one than just get the cheapest. I don't drink it so no idea of what to get thanks

I love red wine and usually go for a Rioja, Tesco usually have a couple or nice ones reduced so they are nice quality for around £5. Any Wolf Blass ones are good too. I tend to buy what is reduced from £10 to £5-£7 and have never had an unpleasant one (except a Pinot Nior but they have a smoky flavour I don't like ) x

creative_gal

Hope everyone is feeling festive. I've finally completed the majority of my Christmas present shopping today. I had a lovely mince tart in the John Lewis caf! before starting, and brought myself a little something from the body shop using a voucher. I always want to get everyone the perfect gift, so am sometimes prone to dithering over what to get them. Unfortunately, that can mean me seeing something that suits the giftee, and being unable to find it at a later date.


I've got Monday and Tuesday off, and plan to have a very Christmassy couple of days, writing cards, wrapping presents, and getting the tree. I'll also be putting out our Christmas towels then. I'm feeling very excited indeed.

FeistyFidget

Phew I'm pooped! We did our one and only christmas shopping day that was in the actual shops and not online today. Very successful and I'm inspired to start wrapping!

FeistyFidget

Seeing as I've officially finished my Christmas shopping, I thought I'd update my totals.

20 persons gifts have been bought for with an average budget of £10 a head - I've actually only spent £29.87 of physical money! The original price of £262.78 has been brought down by using vouchers saved from cashback, nectar points, clubcard vouchers surveys etc. I haven't used the overly inflated RRP in my original price calculations, these are what I would have paid in sales etc if I didn't have the vouchers

DH has purchased for only 4 people (with a slightly larger budget per head) and manged to spend £73.09! Thank god I don't let him loose with the whole Christmas present list lol

pinknfluffy28

Just got back from cinema. Nativity 3 entertained dds, but dh and I weren't impressed. Songs not at all catchy or particularly christmassy, Martin Clunes looked bored throughout, and even good old Mr Poppy seemed to have lost his mojo! But we've come back full of Christmas cheer!

Got a lovely new coat at matalan, plus it had £10 off! Very cosy, dh has nicknamed it the outdoor duvet!

Best shower & do my hair, kids are hungry and me & dh are ready for a pint!

Oh, before I forget - re the red wine, if you ever fancy splashing out try the chocolate wine, its to die for! I get ours from amazon, a bit pricey at just under £20 for 2 bottles, but we always have one Xmas eve, and the other new years day after dinner. Well worth it, perfect for those who love red wine & chocolate!